The Middle Update 10/30/16

November is here this week, and with it brings us to the end of the 1st quarter.  The next week or two gives us a couple of collaboration and communication opportunities to continue our work to boost student achievement.  Like we reviewed in our staff meeting, our data indicates that so many culture and achievement indicators are heading in the right direction...we have a lot to be proud of, and more ground to cover.  I really appreciate working with a group of educators who put students first, and constantly strive for the refinement of the good things that we already have built.

PD Day, Friday 11/4

Mr. Shappell shared the PD Day schedule last Friday afternoon.  I am really looking forward to the work that we'll put in during this collaboration opportunity, and the benefits that our students will reap stemming from our efforts.

SLO/PPG's

The SLO/PPG will be a central focus of our time on Friday, so you should come prepared with a working draft of your SLO and PPG, and an idea of what data you plan to focus on throughout the year.  If you are still not completely sure about the focus or data, please schedule a time with me prior to Friday.

Telling Our Story

At the staff meeting we reviewed a lot of culture/achievement data.  What stands out to me is our achievement relative to many of our neighbors.  Explore the data HERE.  More of our students are achieving at high levels because our teachers design rigorous learning activities that students participate in and get feedback on daily!  The Poynette School District is starting to known as a district of innovation and high achievement.  Many people in our community and the area don't know about the success of our instructional programs and its effect on the achievement of our students.  It's up to us to tell our story, and in today's world, there are many avenues to share this story with our community.  I welcome ideas and thoughts about how we can add to the avenues that we already utilize to tell the story of the many great things about the students in our schools.

Fire Drill
We will be conducting a fire drill this week, most likely on Monday...as always, make sure the students are familiar with the emergency procedures from your classroom.

Assembly on Thursday (11/3)

We will be meeting as a Middle School group on Thursday afternoon for our annual End of Quarter 1 Assembly.  Please dismiss students at 2:15.  Also, don't be afraid to get out of your comfort zone, and see Mr. Johnson and Mr. Filerman to get prepped for our special "Staff" performance (this is a great way to build or enhance your "street cred" in the eyes of the students).

Next Literacy Committee Meeting

We will be meeting on Thursday (11/3) at 2:50 to finalize planning for the upcoming book talks in November.  Anyone is welcome to join us!

Welcoming a couple of new staff members
Very soon we will be welcoming a couple of new staff members who will be serving as long-term subs for a couple of our teachers.  Ms. Amy Luebke will be taking over for Mr. Williams starting next Monday (11/7) and Ms. Jamie Keller will be taking over at some time soon for Mrs. Rogness.  They will both be in our buildings getting ready at different times, so if you see them, welcome them to our team.

PAD Parent Club Dance Update

Our students had a great time at their dance Friday night.  It was really nice to see them decked out in costumes and letting loose, having a fun time together as a community of students.  It was a great, positive atmosphere.  Thanks to the Parent's Club members for putting in so much time and effort for our kids!

Twitter Find of the Week

 

edutopiaVerified account‏@edutopia

What the heck is restorative justice? http://edut.to/2fnRET0 . #leadupchat

0 replies0 retweets0 likes

M Shappell ‏@mattshappell  Oct 28

Results of a great "mix it up" day in the middle school: students talked to someone they didn't know well and shared something new.

0 replies0 retweets0 likes

Duty This Week

Morning - Frehner, Johnson

Bus - Vian

The Middle Update 10/21/16

We have only 2 weeks remaining in the 1st Quarter!  As the cooler air moves in, and the days get a little shorter, it's a little easier being inside, and with the solid teaching and learning that takes place inside our building, it makes it all the better.  Check out below for some information about the weeks ahead.

Staff Meeting this Wednesday (10/26)
We will have a staff meeting this Wednesday in Mrs. Hendrickson's room beginning at 2:50.  We have a full agenda including a couple activities designed to ensure our assessment practices are normed, laying out our department work planning for this school year, and reviewing our progress using some of our 16-17 data.

Puma Pride Committee Meeting on Monday (10/24)
The next Puma Pride Committee Meeting is on Monday afternoon at 2:50 in Mr. Odden's room.  We will be discussing keeping our Puma Pride expectations consistent, our Puma Pride intervention plan, and planning for the End of Quarter 1 Assembly.  Anyone is welcome to contribute to the group.

Book Talks are Coming...(11/17)
A reminder that we are in the works of planning our first IE Book Talks.  See this FLYER (it's still a work in progress) for a sneak peak...

Halloween Dance (11/28)
The PAD Parent's Club will be sponsoring their annual Halloween Dance for our students.  The Elementary Dance will be from 6:00 to 7:30, and the Middle School Dance will run from 7:30 to 9:00.  The group asked if any teachers would be willing to attend and help chaperone, while joining in on the fun.  If you are interested, there will be free pizza and drink waiting for you.  Visit this SITE to sign up.

Twitter Post of the Week
Twitter can be a solid tool for educators.  Keep up with current trends in education, gets tips that work from others, and network with other teachers from around the world.  It's easy to set up and get started.  If you are interested in learning how it can be another tool for growth, I'd be happy to help get you started.

Erin Klein ‏@KleinErin  Feb 28

Six Ways To Motivate Students To Learn http://buff.ly/1TI9hZA  #learning #motivation

0 replies13 retweets12 likes

 

 

 

Jerry Pritzl ‏@jerrypritzl  Oct 20

Recognizing excellent work from our students!

0 replies0 retweets3 likes

 

 

 

 

A Word from our Instructional Coaches

The Power of Yet:  14 Picture Books to Help Teach About Perseverance and Determination

Looking for a way to continue to infuse the growth mindset into your classroom?  Here is a list of 14 books that can be used within your classroom, this resource was posted on The Teachers College Reading and Writing Project site, they are a great resource to follow on social media!

	The Most Magnificent Thing Having a can-do attitude like the protagonist is a must for any person wanting to make make her mark in the world of science and technology. With the help of her assistant dog, a “regular girl” decides she is going to invent a most MAGNIFICENT thing. She has a lot of false starts. Nothing seems to be turning out the way she wants and it’s so frustrating for her! However, she takes a walk, comes back and looks at her inventions afresh, and finally figures things out.
	Emmanuel’s Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah. Emmanuel was born in Ghana with only one leg. Most children with disabilities didn’t go to school, but Emanuel was determined and hopped two miles each way to attend school. After his mother died, he decided to honor her last words by proving “that being disabled does not mean being unable.” He completed the astounding feat of bicycling 400 miles in 10 days.
	Flight School  A young penguin may not have exactly the right body for flight, but he has the “soul of an eagle.” Eager to enroll in flight school and learn what it takes to soar, he is not discouraged. Fortunately, the other birds are so taken with his determination they do what it takes to make his dreams come true.
	A Chair for My Mother is a gorgeous book about familial love and how much of our determination to accomplish a goal is motivated by family. The narrator, a young girl, describes how her family lost everything in a fire. They found a new home and their neighbors donated furniture but what they lacked was a comfortable chair for her mother to rest in after her days of work as a waitress. The family saves their change in a jar and when the coins finally reach the top, they set off to buy the perfect chair. The story is quietly appealing and shares a valuable lesson not just about perseverance and love, but about recognizing that for many families, having a good chair is a luxury.
	Rosie Revere, Engineer Rosie loves to tinker, build and invent. She gets discouraged when her inventions flop on the first try. Her wonderfully eccentric great-great-great aunt, however, explains to her that a flop is a successes because it paves the way for the next step in the inventive process
	Brave Irene. Irene’s mother is a dressmaker and is unable to deliver an important gown to the duchess. In typical Steig style, Irene braves the winter storm, facing her foes, the whipping wind and swirling snow to get the gown to the grateful lady in time.
	Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type. If you want to raise kids who won’t let their future employers walk all over them, read them this modern classic about a group of determined barnyard animals who persevere to get what they want, despite a grumpy farmer .
	You Can Do It, Bert! by Ole Könnecke made us laugh out loud with its surprising twist. I will absolutely not give it away, so don’t even ask. This is a lighthearted and gently humorous tale about a bird who is about to have a first time experience. Will he go for it? How will his friends react?
	One Word from Sophia. Sophia’s one true desire is to get a giraffe for her birthday. She prepares elaborate, individualized presentations to argue her case before each family member:  a judge, businessperson, lawyer and disciplinarian (grandma!). Can she win her case, and will she find just the right word to win her case and convince the jury?
	Amazing Grace. An interesting fact is that Laura Bush named this title one of her 5 favorite books of all time. Grace’s favorite thing to do is act out her favorite stories (and aren’t all children natural actors during pretend play?). She wants to play the role of Peter Pan in the school production, but her friends tell her she can’t because Peter is a boy, and not black. Her grandmother, however, shows Grace that she can be anything she wants, if she puts her mind to it. It so happens that Grace makes a delightful Peter Pan.
	Henry’s Freedom Box. This is the true story of Henry Brown, a slave who, when separated from his family was determined to reach freedom. Using his limited resources in an environment of great adversity and danger, and with the help of an abolitionist, he packs himself inside a crate and mails himself to freedom.
	Thank You, Mr. Falker. Tricia wants to learn to read so much, but the lines of text just don’t seem like anything but wiggly scribbles. Finally, in fifth grade she meets a compassionate teacher who helps her fulfill her wish.
	The Boy and the Airplane and The Girl and the Bicycle. Wordless books are uniquely suited for encouraging extended conversations. In each story the child wants something so much he or she is willing to put in a lot of effort and patience to achieve the goal.

Duty This Week
Morning - Filerman, Johnson
Bus - Schoen

The Middle Update 10/14/16

The first round of Parent-Teacher Conferences are in the books.  Those opportunities to meet with the parents to discuss the road map for their child's success is really important for establishing a partnership for us to rely on throughout the year.  Thanks to all of you for your energy and hard work during the past two extra long weeks.

October Staff Meeting Plan
I am really excited about the upcoming opportunities for staff collaboration.  See details below.  On the 26th, we will outline our plan for using the SLO process as more of a focus for us throughout the year to focus our energy and efforts on boosting student achievement where we need it the most.

October 19th - This meeting will be for teachers on a Summary Year.  We will go through a thorough review of the expectations and process.  Time will be devoted to getting a head start and completing some of the necessary requirements of the Summary Year.

October 26th - This meeting will be for all staff members.  Our focus will be on finalizing SLO's and PPG's and how we will be using the data from this focus throughout the year to give a super boost to student achievement in the important area that you chose.  We will also review any manager items that are timely. 

SLO/PPG Timeline
All teachers should have a solid draft that is approved by a principal by the end of business on November 4th.  Feel free to schedule a meeting with me to review your SLO, or be ready to discuss during our bi-weekly meeting time.

What it's all about...
According to John Hattie (2012)...

Visible teaching and learning occurs when learning is the explicit and transparent goal, when it is appropriately challenging, and when the teacher and the student both (in various ways) seek to ascertain whether and to what degree the challenging goal is attained. Visible teaching and learning occurs when there is deliberate practice aimed at attaining mastery of the goal, when there is feedback given and sought, and when there are active, passionate, and engaging people (teacher, students, peers) participating in the act of learning (pp. 17-18).

Our improvement focus will remain embedded in efforts to improve the teaching and learning that happens in each classroom.  Our focus will be to refine our practices on: using solid learning goals, activities that support attainment or goals, assessments in place to measure the learning of these goals, and classroom planning in place to address students that do not meet the goals.

Student of the Month BreakfastWe will be having our first Student of the Month Breakfast on Thursday (10/20).  Thank you to Mrs. Anderson, Ms. Pittner, Mrs. Rogness, and Mr. Williams for presenting this month.  Congratulations to this month's recognition recipients.
Kate Lendobeja                Mika Bush               Grace Hutchinson                Hunter Kutz
Cash Stewart                    Raschel Taylor          Cabo Cittadino                   Abby Walsh

Carelli Cup Update
After 2 events last Friday, the race for the Carelli Cup became even more interesting.  At this time the 7th graders are holding on to a slim lead, while the 8th and 6th graders are charging hard for 2nd place.  The standings are below.  The next event will be at our End of 1st Quarter Assembly on Thursday, 11/3 (we'll start at about 2:15 or so).

Standings:
7th Grade - 20
8th Grade - 14
6th Grade - 14

Fire Drill in October
We will be having another fire drill coming up sometime before the end of October.  As always, please be sure that each of your sections understand the procedures for either fire, tornado, hold, or lockdown situations.  Please let me know if any questions arose after the last fire drill.

Halloween Dance 10/28
The PAD Parent's Club will be sponsoring their annual Halloween Dance for our students.  The Elementary Dance will be from 6:00 to 7:30, and the Middle School Dance will run from 7:30 to 9:00.  The group asked if any teachers would be willing to attend and help chaperone, while joining in on the fun.  If you are interested, there will be free pizza and drink waiting for you.  Visit this SITE to sign up.

Twitter Find of the Week

edutopia ‏@edutopia  24h24 hours ago

8 issues that can arise in whole-class discussions (& how to remedy them): http://edut.to/2digjDP .

0 replies47 retweets32 likes

Duty Next Week
Bus - Pittner

Data
Building Goal Update

Unexcused Tardies (through 6 weeks of Quarter 1)
16-17 - 69 students - 190 total
15-16 - 97 students - 300 total
14-15 - 76 students - 153 total

Attendance Rates (through 6 weeks of Quarter 1)
16-17 - 96.39%
15-16 - 96.36%
14-15 - 95.87%